Laundry stick



Patented Dec. 30, 1952 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE LAUNDRY STICK Robert R. Forward, Jr., Minneapolis, Minn.

Application May 2, 1951, Serial No. 224,203

(Cl. 29d-23.5)

A 5 Claims.

This invention relates to laundry sticks such as commonly used in home laundry operations for removing wet laundered articles from hot water andfeeding them into a wringer to squeeze the water partially from them.

-The primary object of my invention is to pron vide a laundry stick which may be easily manipulated to lift the clothes and smoothly feed them into the wringer and which is so constructed as to prohibit entrance of the feeding end of the stick .into and between the wrnger rolls. i' .another object of my invention is to provide a laundry stick for handling wet laundry which has no sharp corners, points, or edges upon which the laundered articles may catch or tear so to allow smooth passing of the articles from the stick to the wringer or other place of deposit.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a laundry stick forfeeding laundry into and between wringer rolls and whichwill operate effectively regardless of the position of the stick upon its longitudinal axis, with respect to the wringer rolls.

Still another object of my invention is to pro- I vide a laundry stick having rotatable elements at one end to cooperate with the revolving rolls of a wringer for smooth feeding of laundry into the wringer and which stick is of simple yet durable construction and which may be manufactured at a very reasonable cost. Y

With these and other objects in view, my invention broadly comprises an elongated stick having a pair of rollers `mounted near each other at one end thereof on parallelaxes, which axes are perpendicular to the axis of the stick, and said rollers having substantially an ellipsoidal shape. In a modified form of my invention I provide a plurality of retaining sockets at the end of the stick adaptedto seat balls or spheres for rotation therein, said ball and socket means serving in lieu of the rollers of the preferred embodiment.

The objectsand construction of my invention will be more clearly explained during the course of the following specification, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. l is a side view of my improved laundry stick.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side view showing the stick in operative position relative to a pair of wringer rolls.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the head end portion of the stick.

Fig. 4 shows the head of Ia modified form of my improved laundry stick in operating position.

Fig. 5 is similar to Fig. 2 but shows the stick turned about one-eighth of a revolution on its axis.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing and using reference characters to denote like parts in the different iigures, the numeral I0 denotes an elongated stick or body member adapted for manual gripping at one end I I and to receive rollers at its opposing or head end, the end face of which is identified as I2. Though it is not considered an essential feature of the invention the stick is shown as gradually tapering from its end face I2 to the handle portion II, so as to allow the face I2 to `be relatively broad while yet preserving lightness of weight in the device. e

A pair of rollers I3 is mounted on the member lil for rotation beyond the end face I2 thereof. These rollers are shown as having an ellipsoidal shape and each has a passage I4 extending through the roller on its longitudinal axis.. The rollers are mounted one above the other in vertical alignment and for rotation on parallel axes. The mounting is effected by means of hooks I5 each of which has a shank portion I6 imbedded in the stick and extending out through the end face I2, and a hook portion Il which extends into the passage I4 to form a spindle on which the roller I3 rotates. It is to be noted that both ends of each roller are supported-by one of these hooks and that the hooks are so arranged as to support the rollers with only a very narrow space between them, as shown in Fig. `2. Actually it is found desirable to mount the rollers with their axes Within the planes of the upper and lower surfaces of the stick IIJ so that laundry moving endwise olf the head end of the stick will engage a forwardly and outwardly curving surface of the roller. It is also to be noted that the length of each roller is no greater than the crosswise diameter of the head end face of the stick (Fig. 3). I have found that -a satisfactory way of imbedding the Shanks of the hook members I5 in the stick is to drill inwardly converging recesses into the end face I2 of the stick and then dipping the hook shanks into glue, shellac or the like prior to insertion into the recesses. By inserting the Shanks at a slight angle to each other, as shown, identical hooks might be used with the spindle portions for the 'upper and lower rollers adequately spaced.

In Fig. 2 I have shown my improved laundry stick in position for feedingpwet Alaundry into a conventional wringer comprising upper and lower wringer rolls A and B mounted on their axles` C and D, respectively, for rotation in the directions indi-cated. The stick may, of course, be used for poking the articles to be laundered down into the hot washing suds or for stirring the articles in the washing tub in the usual manner. The smooth outer surfaces of the head end of the stick allow such handling without catching or tearing the articles. The primary advantage of my construction, however, appears during the operation wherein the stick is used to lift the laundered articles from the water to feed them into the wringer for partial drying. It will readily appear that as a portion of the article hanging on the head portion of the stick is allowed to enter the wringer it will be pulled smoothly ofi the end of the stick by riding over the rollers I3. As the rollers press against the wringer rolls, either directly or through the cloth being fed, the rollers will rotate with the rolls prohibiting pulling of the head end of the stick into the wringer. I find that by forming the rollers I3 of plastic or metal the laundry will pass over the end of the stick with a minimum of friction. However, the rollers may obviously be made of other materials and yet preserve the principle of my invention.

It is considered to be of importance for the most eiiicient operation of the device that the rollers be close together. So positioned not only can they enter partially between the wringer rolls to give the laundered article a start into the wringer, but also they do not present an obstacle to smooth passage of the article endwise off the stick. Another important feature lies in the shape of the rollers. By using rollers` of substantially ellipsoidal or spherical shape the stick may be turned on its longitudinal axis and work with equal efdciency (Fig. 5). Also with rounded or tapering ends the rollers cannot loe caught between the rolls should the stick be accidentally turned a quarter turn on its axis from` the position shown in Fig. 2. Yet it is found that the clothes will smoothly leave the end of the stick over the rollers regardless of the position or angle in which the stick is held.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a slightly modified form of the invention. Here three rotatable members are provided at the end of a stick I8 having a diametrically larger head end face I9 than the face I2 of stick I0. The roller arrangement consists of at least three shanked sockets: with their Shanks 2| mounted endwise in the stick prefer ably at the corners of an equilateral triangle. Each socket carries a ball 22 for universal rotation therein with a substantial portion, though less than half, of the ball surface area exposed, said portion being remote from the stick as shown. This construction provides substantially the same clothes releasing action as the preferred form of the invention. Furthermore, with the balls 22 arranged triangularly, it will be obvious that regardless of the position of the stick on its longitudinal axis at least one of the balls will be urged against each wringer roll A and B. The sockets may be mounted on the stick by providing their Shanks with wood screw thread for screwing them into the end of the stick.

I have accordingly provided a light, sturdy, and reasonably manufactured laundry stick which eiiiciently carries out the aforementioned objectives. It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Hav- 4 ing now therefore fully illustrated and described my invention, what I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A device for feeding laundry into the rolls of a wringer comprising an elongated body member for lifting the laundry, and a pair of rollers mounted at one end of the body member for rotation on parallel axes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said body member for operation against the wringer rolls to facilitate movement of the laundry from the body member into the wringer, and said rollers having rounded ends to prohibit grasping thereof by the wringer rolls regardless of the position on its longitudinal axis, that the member is held against the wringer.

2. A device for feeding laundry into the rolls of a wringer comprising an elongated stick for lifting the laundry, and a pair of rollers mounted at one end of the stick for rotation on parallel axes whereby as said end of the stick isv held against the Wringer with the roller axes parallel to the wringer roll axes the rolls will act upon the convex surfaces of the rollers rotating them for smooth movement of the laundry off the stick and into the wringer, and said rollers having a substantially ellipsoidal shape whereby as the stick is turned on its longitudinal axis the convex surfaces of the rollers will remain in Contact with the wringer rolls.

3. A laundry stick having a socket opening endwise therefrom, a sphere, means for retaining the sphere in the socket for universal rotation of the sphere therein and with a substantial surface portion of the sphere exposed at the end of the stick so that movement of laundry over the end of the stick causes rotation of the sphere.

Li. A device for feeding laundry into the rolls of a wringer comprising an elongated body member adapted for manual gripping at one end and provided at its other end with a plurality of sockets, each of said sockets retaining a ball for universal rotation therein when said other end is. held against the wringer rolls, said balls having exposed surfaces with points thereon on a common plane and being so arranged that said points are substantially at the corners of an equilateral ligure on said plane whereby at least one of said balls will contact each wringer roll when said other end is held against the wringer.

5. A device for feeding laundry into a pair of wringer rolls rotatable on parallel axes comprising an elongated stick for lifting the laundry, a roller supporting means at one end of the stick, a pair of rollers mounted on said means for rotation on parallel axes as said end of the sti-ck is held adjacent the rolls with one roller against each roll, said rollers having an ellipsoidal shape and having their forwardmost curved rotating surfaces lying endwise beyond said means insuring said rotation though said roller axes be angu larly disposed relative to the roll axes.

ROBERT R. FORWARD, JR.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Voss Jan. 3, 1928 Number 

